


Strange Bedfellows

by ladybug218



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-02
Updated: 2012-06-02
Packaged: 2017-11-06 15:08:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/420242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladybug218/pseuds/ladybug218
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time moves differently in hell</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strange Bedfellows

Her kiss is still on his lips as he hurtles through the portal.

If he was a normal guy, he'd be upset by what she did. But he's not normal, hasn't been normal in two centuries, and he is actually grateful for the sacrifice she chose to make. He belongs in hell, deserves to suffer for everything that he did. He certainly doesn't deserve her.

*

The scream is still on his lips as the hounds drag him down. He isn't prepared for this, couldn't have possibly been prepared for this. Despite the bravado he had displayed, he never expected it to come to this. He finally acknowledges that, from the moment he made his deal, he expected Sammy to find a way to get him out.

* 

He's not sure how much time has passed since he ended up here. Time moves differently in every dimension, even hell, and it's nearly impossible to keep track of it when there are no variables to consider. No daylight, no moon, no stars, nothing but fire and dark and pain. There aren't even other people, which he is, in turns, grateful for and disappointed by. He's never been the talkative type, but sometimes he thinks it would be nice to have someone to talk to.

*

As much as he hates to admit it, he's scared. Terrified, really. He doesn't know if the things that Ruby told him are true, doesn't know if he's on the path to becoming a demon. The dreams he had while under the influence of the African dream root play on a constant loop in his mind. He doesn't want to become like the things he hunted. He doesn't really sleep, but he's also not sure he's fully awake. Either way, he's unaware that sometimes when the images flash through his mind, he screams.

*

The first time it happened, he thought he was imaging it. The second time, he thought he was remembering the screams of his victims. But the third time, he starts to wonder if there's someone else around. Enhanced senses give him an advantage, even in hell, and the fourth time, he's able to follow the sound. 

He stares at the young man who is thrashing about, clearly caught up in some delusion. He hesitates, unsure if he should make his presence known and try to calm the man down, or if he should ignore him and go about his business. A small part of him wonders if this is a trick of some kind.

*

When the torment passes, and he's still not sure if it's real or imagined, he senses someone watching him. Instantly on guard, his hunter instincts kicking in, he scans the area and finally spots the man lurking in the nearby shadows.

"Who are you?" he demands, his voice raspy and raw from the screams. 

"No one special," comes the reply. 

"Why are you watching me?" 

"Because you're here."

That makes sense, in so much as anything can make sense in this situation. "Did that Lilith bitch get you too?"

* 

_Lilith_. He winces when he realizes what brought this young man here. 

"No. I ended up here..." because I deserve it, he thinks. He doesn't voice that though. "For other reasons."

He hasn't lost his vampiric senses in hell and he realizes that his statement has piqued the other man's curiosity. "You know who she is though?" he asks, his tone vaguely accusatory.

"Yeah," he replies simply, not wanting to get into how. "What did you make a deal for?"

*

It unsettles him that this guy knows who Lilith is, but claims not to have made a deal. He wonders if this is one of Lilith's minions. If maybe this man is the source of his torment.

"To save my brother," he says in response to the question.

"Save him from what?" The questions aren't nasty or accusatory in any way, they're simply curious.

"A demon was trying to control him. Things got out of hand and my brother was killed. I made a deal to get him back."

*

That was an unexpected revelation. Most of the deal he had previously heard about were selfish. This one appeared to be selfless. "So now your brother is alive and you're stuck in hell," he observes. "Seems unfair."

"I wasn't supposed to be alive anyway," he says. "I almost died twice. Both times I lived because someone else sacrificed themself for me. I figured I ought to return the favor."

He nods, wondering how this man and his brother ended up with a life that was rife with demons and violence. "Very noble of you." 

*

Noble? That's a first. Most of the people who learned about his deal called him an idiot. "Well, Sammy deserved a chance. I wanted to give it to him." 

"Sammy's lucky to have such a caring brother." There's an undertone of sadness in the words that he can't even begin to try to decipher.

He shrugs. "I did what I had to do."

*

The words hit him with a force he never could have imagined because he hears them spoken in Buffy's voice. He doesn't blame her for what she did. He knows that she did what she had to do to save the world and he hopes that she knows that too. The last thing he wants is to cause her any more suffering than he already has.

"Any regrets?" The words surprise him even as he speaks them. He knows that he's looking for answers that this man can't actually provide.

* 

It's a question that he's asked himself a number of times in the last couple of months and he's able to give an answer almost without thought. "No. No regrets for making the deal. The only thing I would regret is if my brother doesn't take advantage of the opportunity I gave him by making the deal." 

He doesn't want Sam to spend the rest of his days on Earth grieving for his lost brother. He wants Sam to finally have the normal life that he's always craved.

*

He understands that. He hopes that Buffy is able to move on with her life and find love with someone who deserves her. "I understand that better than you'd think."

The other man actually cracks a smile. "If we weren't in hell, I'd ask you if you wanted to go out for a beer."

He doesn't bother to share the fact that he'd rather drink blood than beer. "If we weren't in hell, I'd be honored to go out for a beer with you."

"I'm Dean," the young man says, holding out his hand.

It's an unexpected gesture, given their location, but he shakes the proffered hand. "Angel."


End file.
